


Two Thumbs Way Way Up

by RubyCaspar



Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV)
Genre: F/M, but no real spoilers or anything, dummies in love, season two speculation, title from Hercules for absolutely no reason
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-27
Updated: 2015-03-27
Packaged: 2018-03-19 21:04:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,198
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3624216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RubyCaspar/pseuds/RubyCaspar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Amy is asked out on a date by the best detective in the state, and when Jake gives her a thumbs up she's flustered enough to say yes. Okay, so the guy is kind of  a Teddy clone, but it's just  a date. Besides, Jake is clearly fine with it...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Two Thumbs Way Way Up

**Author's Note:**

> So this story is based off the (very mild) spoiler for an upcoming episode, that Jake and Amy work a case with the best detective in the city, and spend the whole time trying to impress him... and that the guy has a romantic interest in Amy. So this is speculation on what might be the result of that episode.
> 
> I've totally made up the guy's name.

 

 

Amy was nervous, which was ridiculous. It was only a date. Sure, she hadn’t been on a date since breaking up with Teddy, but it wasn’t like she’d forgotten how first dates went. And it wasn’t like she even really _liked_ the guy all that much, so she didn't have to worry too much about screwing up.

 

I mean, she _did_ like him… kind of. Monroe - no, _Harry_ \- was a great guy. He was cute, and they got on well. He was a detective, so he understood her job and having just worked a case with him she knew he took the job seriously and was damn good at it. Of course she’d already known that, since he was the top homicide detective in the _state_.

 

Amy shook her head, remembering how crazy she and Jake had got, trying to one-up each other the past few days, doing everything they could to impress Monroe - _Harry_. She couldn’t believe they’d acted like that. (Well, okay, that wasn’t true - of course she could believe it of Jake… and she wasn’t exactly a beacon of professional behaviour at all times these days. There was something about the Nine-Nine that redefined professionalism…) Anyway, it had been a great moment when (once she and Jake had gotten over themselves, discussed the case rationally for two minutes and realised that together they had actually managed to solve the damn thing), Monroe - _Harry_ \- had said what good partners they were and Jake had smiled at her and it was one of his really nice small smiles that somehow felt more real than his usual big goofy grins and she’d smiled back…

 

Urgh, why was she thinking about Jake? She needed to stop that. She was about to go on a date with Mon - _Harry._

 

She also really needed to remember to call her date by his first name.

 

Amy had been surprised when he asked her out. Okay, so she'd noticed the way he was looking at her (she _was_ a detective), and he’d started flirting with her the second they'd gotten the break in the case they’d needed and had made the arrest. But she definitely hadn't flirted back.

 

The thing was, it was just all a little bit too much of history repeating. Did Amy really want to date someone just like Teddy again?

 

It wasn't really the same, of course; he wasn't _exactly_ like Teddy. But he was... well, he was charming in a sweet way, like Teddy... and cute in a cuddly bear kind of way, like Teddy... and as far as Amy could tell, the only thing they really had in common was their job... just like Teddy. She had spent almost nine months trying to convince herself that that was enough to make a relationship work, and she wasn't prepared to do it again.

 

So you're probably wondering why she said yes to going out with him?

 

Yeah, she didn’t really know either.

 

As mentioned, it was all a bit of a surprise, and it happened really fast. Even though he’d been flirting, she hadn’t been responding and so she hadn’t thought he’d actually go so far as to ask her out. But the three of them had gone out celebrating and Jake had got up to go to the bathroom and Mon- _Harry_ had laughed way too hard at her story of the drunks who tried to dislocate each other’s thumbs to get out of their handcuffs and then suddenly he was talking about how much he’d enjoyed getting to know her and he asked her to dinner and she’d looked up and Jake was there, standing a few feet away and listening and he’d given her the thumbs up and… and she’d said yes.

 

Okay, _fine_. She knew why she’d said yes. It was because of Jake Peralta and his stupid thumbs.

 

That sounded weird.

 

Amy Santiago was a mature, confident woman, not some schoolgirl with a crush. She could admit it - she liked Jake. _Romantic stylez_. _He_ was the reason she hadn’t been on any dates since things ended with Teddy - firstly because while he was with perfect Sophia she was a little bit put off the whole dating thing, and after they’d broken up because what if he still liked her, even a little, and going out with someone else scared him away?

 

Alright, so maybe she _was_ a little bit like a schoolgirl with a crush. But really, given the situation, could you blame her? She had _no idea_ what Jake was thinking. He joked around about her liking him and said it was all in the past, but then he would give her this look sometimes, or smile at her like he had at the wedding and suddenly it didn’t seem like it was in the past so much.

 

But he didn’t say anything, and Amy couldn’t bring herself to say anything either. It had been _so_ awkward for so long between them, and she couldn’t stand the thought of ruining their relationship again if she was wrong, not when they were finally back to acting (mostly) normal with each other. No, she was fine with just letting things progress naturally between them.

 

Or at least she _had_ been, until he’d given her that thumbs up. _A thumbs up_? It was just so… casual, you know? He’d heard Monroe asking her out, and his reaction was a thumbs up. It wasn’t like she’d expected him to leap across the table and push Monroe out of the way, or beg her not to say yes or… well… but seriously, in that moment she’d just really needed a sign that he was on the same page as her, that he too was waiting to see what would happen between them. That it wasn’t really just in the past.

 

She’d got a thumbs up. So Monroe had got a yes.

 

_Harry, Harry, HARRY._ She _really_ needed to get that straight in her head _._

 

Amy had half expected Jake to act weird at work the next day, but he was totally fine. He’d joined in teasing her when the rest of the team found out she had a date, and then disappeared with Boyle for the rest of the day. So that was that. Amy did her best not to let it bother her, and left early to get ready for dinner.

 

Amy was determined to give M- _Harry_ a proper chance. Sure, she’d written him off as too similar to Teddy to want to date him, but maybe she was wrong. It wasn’t like they’d had much bonding time working the case… and that was the whole point of going on a date - to _get to know the person_. And if Jake had moved on, clearly she had to as well.

 

So this was a good thing.

 

Which takes us back to the beginning of this little rant… it was _ridiculous_ that she felt so nervous.

 

Amy sat at her kitchen table, trying and failing to concentrate on a homeware catalogue that had come through her door. She was expecting _Harry_ (yes!) any minute, and she’d been ready for ten (Amy didn’t keep people waiting).

 

There was a knock on the door. Amy jumped more than she would like to admit. She stood up, smoothed down the skirt of her navy dress, and headed for the door. She paused before opening it to hitch a smile onto her face.

 

She opened the door and her smile disappeared at once. It wasn’t Harry standing on the other side.

 

“Jake,” she breathed, and then immediately felt herself go red at the sound of her voice. She sounded ridiculous. But… he was _there_ , like her thinking about him had conjured him out of thin air.

 

He had a weird look on his face, but aside from that he looked just like he had when he’d left the precinct hours before. He nodded at her. “Hey.”

 

Amy swallowed and tried to get a grip on her racing imagination. Okay, so he was here. That didn’t necessarily mean it had anything to do with… you know, the two of them. Maybe something had happened on his case with Boyle. Maybe he had bad news he wanted to tell her in person. Maybe he’d just forgotten she had a date.

 

She cleared her throat. “What are you -” She broke off abruptly as Jake pushed past her into the apartment without waiting for an invitation. Amy stood staring at the spot his face had been for a moment, before closing the door and turning to face him. She kept her hand on her door handle, just for something to hold onto.

 

He was standing just a couple of feet away, his hands in his jacket pockets and his jaw set. Amy couldn’t remember ever seeing him look so serious, and she started to think that maybe he _was_ there to deliver bad news.

 

“I can’t do this again,” he said once she was facing him.

 

“Can’t do what?” Amy asked him. “Are you okay?”

 

Jake fixed her with his unusually serious eyes and didn’t look away once as he spoke. “Last year when you started dating Teddy I didn’t say anything because I was in denial about how I felt about you,” he said. Amy’s heart started racing and she felt her cheeks heating up again.

 

This was actually happening. _Breathe Amy, just breathe._

 

“...and then by the time I realised it wasn’t going away it was too late and I kept quiet because you were happy but then I was going undercover so I had to say something and we both know how that worked out but now it’s happening all over again and I just can’t do it again. I just can’t.”

 

Jake finally broke eye contact with her, and Amy swayed on the spot, feeling suddenly lightheaded. She tightened her grip on the door handle.

 

She swallowed. “I…” She didn’t actually know what to say.

 

“Please don’t go out with him,” said Jake quietly.

 

Amy's eyes widened. She’d never seen Jake like this - he was literally staring at the floor rather than at her. It wasn’t like Jake to avoid looking at someone… but then it wasn’t like him to speak so directly either. He hadn’t made a single joke since arriving.

 

Amy felt oddly touched by that, to be honest. But that feeling was kind of drowned out by the pushier, more immediate feelings screaming at her to _say something_.

 

She swallowed again. “I… what about it being all in the past?” She managed to say. She instantly felt mean for saying it, but she had to be _sure_ … besides, it sounded better than ‘ _so why did you give me a thumbs up you idiot?_ ’.

 

Jake huffed out a laugh that sounded more like a groan and shook his head. "I wanted it to be," he said. He looked up at her again and hunched his shoulders. "I’ve tried to move on, I really have."

 

He started pacing, and his hands came out of his pockets to be waved in the air as he talked. "I’ve dated other people, and I’ve gone back to treating you like one of the guys, and I even tried to convince myself that I was in love with Sophia - who is a _defence attorney_ for crying out loud - but I still like you."

 

He stopped and looked at her again, and by this point Amy had kind of forgotten how to breathe. "I’m _crazy_ about you, Amy, and I don’t think it’s going away anytime soon, and I don’t want it to, and I’m done pretending I don’t feel this way and that I’m okay with you going out with Teddy mark two except a way cooler version of him and…"

 

He shook his head again as his voice trailed off, and he broke eye contact once more. Then, he took a deep breath, looked back at her and took two very deliberate steps towards her, until he was so close that Amy had to tip her head back to look at him.

 

"Don’t go out with him," he said again, his eyes boring into hers. "Go out with me."

 

Amy's breath came back to her and she managed to gasp in a little air. But being able to breathe didn't mean she was able to _talk_.

 

He was asking her out. He was standing there, right in front of her, _asking her out_. He'd said... god, he'd said all those things without a trace of humour, without tacking a z onto the end of any words. It was exactly what she wanted, what she'd been imagining happening for months... but she hadn't thought it would happen now. She'd thought that if this ever did happen it would be months down the line, when they were back to being them and ready to move on to being _them_.

 

But this was happening right now. Were they ready for this?

 

She didn't have a chance to do more than stare at him for a couple of seconds, because right then, of course, there was a knock on her door.

 

Amy jumped practically a foot in the air and snatched her hand away from the door handle like it had turned into a venomous snake. She stared wildly at the door for a moment before spinning back round to stare at Jake, who hadn't even flinched. He was still staring straight at her, so intensely it was like he was trying to read her mind. Since she still hadn't said anything, he probably was.

 

Amy swallowed. "Hide," she whispered.

 

Jake lost the intensity then - he folded his arms and gave her an exasperated look, but didn't move otherwise.

 

There was another knock.

 

"Jake, please..." Amy pleaded. "I can't..."

 

Jake looked away then, and Amy belatedly realised how her words could be interpreted. She didn't mean it like that... she was pretty sure. She was just... she couldn't deal with explaining to Monroe why Jake was in her apartment right then.

 

She opened her mouth to try and explain herself, but Jake was moving now- he stepped to the side and leant back against the wall next to her door, where he'd be hidden when it was open. He kept his eyes on the ground the whole time.

 

Amy bit her lip, shook her head, and opened the door.

 

Monroe - Harry - whatever - was standing on the threshold, his hand up as if he was about to knock again. He wore a dark suit without a tie and looked handsome and mature and like everything she'd ever imagined ending up with... And in that moment, Amy knew for certain that there was absolutely no one that she wanted instead of Jake, and she didn't care if it was too soon - she was done with this charade.

 

Monroe smiled. It was a nice smile, but not the right one. "Hi," he said.

 

Oh god, how did she do this? How did she end things with a guy that she hadn't even gone out with yet? "Um, hi."

 

_Good start._

 

Another smile. "You look beautiful."

 

"Oh, thank you," said Amy distractedly. "Um... hi." She winced - god, she sounded like an idiot. Oh well - maybe he’d just leave if she acted idiotically enough.

 

“Are you ready to go?” Monroe asked, ignoring her slip. Teddy used to do that too - just not respond if Amy said something odd… more than once when that had happened she’d imagined how Jake would have teased her if he’d been Teddy.

 

She was choosing a guy who _would_ tease her over one polite enough not to. Wow, she really was far gone, wasn’t she?

 

Amy took a deep breath. “I... Harry I'm sorry but... I have to cancel,” she said. She heard the sound of Jake shifting his weight behind the door but forced herself to focus on the man in front of her instead. At least she’d got his name right.  

 

Monroe looked surprised. “Oh. Did something come up at the precinct?” He asked.

 

Amy’s hand tightened on the edge of the door she was holding open. “Er, no, not exactly,” she said. She could feel herself going red as she struggled to find the words. Sure, she’d decided she didn’t want to go out with him, but that didn’t mean she didn’t feel like a bitch. “I just... I'm so sorry, I really didn't mean to do this to you but... I don't think we should go out.”

 

Monroe stared at her for a moment before slowly nodding. “Oh,” he said. “I see. Okay…”

 

God, Amy felt like a complete _heel_. Who waits until the guy is at their door before cancelling on him? Who does that?

 

“I'm really so sorry- it's just that I-”

 

Monroe shook his head and took a step back. “Amy, it's okay - you don't owe me an explanation,” he said. Then he actually smiled at her again.

 

The fact that he was being so good about it made Amy feel even worse. “Well, thank you for saying that but... you deserve one,” she said. She took another deep breath to gather her thoughts, and tried not to think about how Jake was only a foot away from her, listening to every word. She was so glad she couldn’t see him - it made this a lot easier.

 

“You remind me a lot of my ex, who on paper was the perfect guy for me, but... we didn't really work,” Amy started. “We weren't right for each other, and being with him made me realise that what I thought I needed was all wrong.”

 

Monroe frowned for the first time since arriving - not a _bad_ frown, but a frown nonetheless - and so Amy was quick to continue. “And I know you're not my ex and it's not fair to paint you with the same brush without giving you a chance but…” Another deep breath. “I kind of know now who I _do_ need, and I think trying to be with anyone else would just be a waste of time.”

 

Monroe smiled suddenly - a reaction Amy hadn’t been expecting - and then quirked an eyebrow at her. “You mean Peralta, don’t you?”

 

It was Amy’s turn to frown. “How did you -?”

 

Monroe shrugged, and his smile turned into more of a smirk. “Well you two have a crazy close partnership, and you'd have to be an idiot not to pick up on the sexual tension,” he said.

 

Amy immediately went red. _Sexual tension_? I mean… well, yeah, of course there was but… she didn’t think _strangers_ could pick up on it. But then again Monroe _was_ the best detective in New York...

 

“Plus there was a definite vibe in the bar last night after I asked you out,” Monroe was saying when Amy zoned back in. “I figured there's a history there.”

 

Amy gave him an embarrassed smile. “Yeah…” _Okay, now or never_.

 

“Truth is I'm completely crazy about him,” she said. “I have been for ages but we've never been in the same place at the same time, and now I think we are.”

 

Amy suddenly wished she _could_ see Jake’s face instead of her door - what was he thinking? Was he happy? Still unnaturally serious? Winding up to make a joke?

 

Then she felt something against her fingers - her hand was still holding onto the open door, and after a moment she realised that what she could feel was Jake touching her hand. She bit her lip, leant her side against the door - casually, of course - and let go of the door so her hand was free to hang loosely at her side instead. Almost immediately, Jake took her hand in his and laced their fingers together.

 

Amy bit her lip to stop herself from grinning, but she could tell she wasn’t entirely successful. Monroe was giving her an odd look, and she realised he’d been talking.

 

“Sorry, er - what was that?” She said.Jake was tracing patterns on the back of her hand with his thumb. It was pretty distracting… it seemed Amy was doomed to be distracted by Jake’s thumbs for the foreseeable future.

 

Monroe smiled and shook his head. “I was just saying I think you two will be good together,” he said. “I’m gonna go.”

 

Amy nodded. “I really am sorry about tonight,” she said sincerely.  

 

“And it really is okay,” he said immediately. “Don't feel bad. I'm sure I'll see you around sometime - take care, Amy.”

 

Amy smiled. “Bye Harry,” she said. “And thanks.”

 

Monroe nodded and then, without warning, took a quick step forward and rapped his knuckles on the door. “See you Peralta!” He called out, looking straight at Amy.

 

She just gaped at him - _how had he known?_ Jake’s hand tightened around hers for a moment, and then he chuckled. “Later Monroe,” he called back.

 

Amy could feel herself going red again. Monroe winked at her - the smug asshole - and then left. She shut the door.

 

Jake wasn’t leaning against the wall anymore - he stood with one hand by his side and the other one tangled with hers, and an amused smile had replaced the seriousness of his expression from earlier.

 

They stared at each other in silence for a moment, and then Jake shook his head. “He’s such a good detective…”

 

Amy huffed out a laugh. “I know right?” She exclaimed, also shaking her head. Jake chuckled, and then the two of them were back to staring at each other again.

 

He smiled at her, and it was one of those rare small smiles that made Amy’s stomach feel like it was flipped upside down. “So…”

 

Amy smiled back. “So… yes,” she said. “I’d like to go out with you.” It took everything she had to not grin like a fool, but she managed to keep her smile under control and give a little nonchalant shrug. “Sometime," she added.

 

Jake nodded. “Cool,” he said. He took a small step closer. “How about now?”

 

Amy pretended to think about it for a moment, before shrugging again. “Works for me.”

 

Jake’s smile widened, and Amy felt her heart speed up accordingly. God, she was like a teenager or something… and she was kind of okay with that.

 

Jake stepped even closer. Amy finally let herself grin up at him. “Do you need to go home and get changed?” She teased. “I mean, you’re not wearing your date shorts…”

 

Jake smirked. “Hey, the shorts are only for really special occasions,” he said. “Birthdays, anniversaries, victory dates…”

 

Amy tilted her head to the side. “This doesn't count as a victory date?”

 

Jake looked at her thoughtfully for a moment before shaking his head. “No - I think we've both won this one,” he said.

 

Amy tried to keep a straight face, but she couldn’t help but laugh. “That was so corny,” she said, still laughing.

 

Jake tried to look affronted but he was struggling not to grin, which kind of ruined the effect. “Excuse you, that was a great line,” he protested. “You're clearly too overwhelmed by the occasion to appreciate the-”

 

Amy didn't even realise she'd moved, but the next thing she knew she had her free hand fisted in the collar of Jake's jacket and her lips were on his. His words were cut off with a muffled 'mmph!', but he soon caught on - in fact Amy was probably more surprised by the fact that she'd initiated the kiss than Jake was, given the way he immediately took control.

 

The hand that wasn’t holding hers came up to cup the back of her head, and he slanted his lips across hers in a way that made Amy moan in the back of her throat. He drew her bottom lip in between his and sucked gently, before swiping his tongue over it.

 

She should have known he’d be stupidly good at this. After all, that mouth had to be good for something.

 

The kiss soon turned into what everything did for them: a competition. They dropped their linked hands - Amy slid her freed hand up over Jake’s shoulder and up to the back of his head, and his went round her waist to tug her closer to him. They fought for control of the kiss until they found a rhythm with their lips and tongues that had both of them groaning into each other’s mouths. It was the most intense first kiss of Amy’s life… and really she should have expected nothing less.

 

Eventually the need to breathe overcame the rest, and they pulled apart as much as they could without unwrapping their arms around each other… which wasn’t very far.

 

Amy blinked her eyes open and was rewarded with the sight of Jake breathing heavily with his eyes still closed, his cheeks flushed and his lips red and wet from her kisses.

 

She reached up and stroked his hair from his forehead to the nape of his neck, and Jake blinked his eyes open. Amy smiled, unable to resist teasing him. "Sorry, what were you saying?"

 

Jake huffed a laugh. "Who cares?" he said, before dipping his head and kissing her again.

 

  
THE END  



End file.
